This fall, immigrants who have been navigating the long process to American citizenship got a curveball from the Trump administration. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated the government’s naturalization test, making it longer and more rigorous. Ozarks at Large’s Daniel Caruth has more.
On a sunny afternoon in between her classes, Ahu Johnson jumps up to greet one of her former students and a special visitor.
“I need to see your baby. She was like this in the classroom last year. Oh my God, look at him,” Johnson says.
This student is now preparing to send off her application for possible U.S. citizenship.
“So you see, she’s ready. She’s been studying so hard. Two years now, right? Yeah. And then the only thing now: you fill out the form, we send it, and then you will have around two months to repeat the questions, and then you’ll be done,” says Johnson.
“The question for me is easy. The question,” begins a student.
“The is writing part, writing parts. Don’t worry, I’m going to give you cards. I have cards," says Johnson.
Johnson teaches citizenship and English as a second language courses for the Fayetteville Public Schools Adult and Career Training program, and has been doing this work since at least 2013, the year that she became a U.S. citizen.
“Even when I was at the court the naturalization day, the judge was a very, very touching moment. I still remember it, and I shared this with my students. He had an amazing speech to us, and he said, you are our adopted children. It still gives me the goosebumps.
“And he said, you pass this test. If you asked these questions to many people walking in the street, they would not answer those questions. So you put extra effort to become our children. And he was an older judge, and I shared this with my students.”
Johnson says after receiving her naturalization certificate, she felt an obligation to help other immigrants navigate the often complicated process of becoming an American citizen.
“I have been a teacher, so I knew how to apply for citizenship. I knew how to study, how to reach the resources, and I know not so many people are able to do that. I had to study a lot because the form has lots of vocabulary that even I did not know back then. And then I said, I don’t need a lawyer. I’m going to do this myself. And that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m here to help you.
“Including the forms, application, interview, the test has five sections: reading, writing, speaking, and also civic questions and the form, five sections. So in my classes, I have a curriculum that I have created all those years. It covers everything. And then we do forms, questions, reading, writing, speaking, and we end up with mock interviews.”
The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shows that in 2023, some 2,070 people in Arkansas became naturalized citizens. That’s down slightly from 2022. And according to numbers from the American Immigration Council, 51,000 Arkansas residents are naturalized citizens, with some 22,000 eligible for naturalization.
But as of Oct. 20, green card holders who apply for citizenship will have to answer twice as many questions correctly during their civics interview with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agent. The civics interview is one of the last steps in the naturalization application process.
Ahu Johnson says when she and her students first learned about the change, people were scared. But she says this test is still similar to the previous version.
“It’s the basics, but as its name is civics and it includes history, that scares people because it’s not their own history. But it’s very interesting. And I always use USCIS website resources. I even met those people who made those resources there. They are very planned. They group the questions, and they don’t give you lots of information that you don’t need to. You just need to know basics.”
The new version of the civics test, which applicants are required to answer verbally to a USCIS officer, requires them to answer 12 correct questions out of 20. Previously, respondents could answer six questions correctly out of 10. And the list of possible questions is expanding from 100 to 128.
According to the USCIS website, some previous questions with short answers or about U.S. holidays or geography are being reduced or eliminated altogether. For example, the question “What ocean is on the West Coast of the United States?” is gone, replaced with more difficult questions like “Why did the U.S. enter the Persian Gulf War?” And that answer, according to USCIS materials, is, quote, to force the Iraqi military from Kuwait.
And Johnson says while the answers may be a bit more involved or complex on this test, she says that shouldn’t deter people from applying.
“Yes, people are scared. I was scared too. But when I, as a teacher, sat down and compared, now I know what I’m going to do. And I was thinking, there is no resource right now, but it will be there. They say that it will be there soon. If not, we will start somewhere. We’re going to study, help people, and then we will get them citizens.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for USCIS, Matthew Tragesser, said the reason for the changes was to ensure that “those joining us as fellow citizens are fully assimilated and will contribute to America’s greatness.”
And that leads to some other changes to the naturalization process, which now require applicants to provide evidence of their “good moral character and contributions to American society.” No word from the department on examples of that evidence. Applicants will also now be subject to more thorough background checks, interviewing neighbors, family members, and coworkers.
“I really don’t want people, anybody, to think like, oh, it’s just right there, why don’t they apply for it? It’s not that easy. The process is scary,” Johnson says.
And Johnson says recently she and her students can feel some of the tension and hostility people have toward immigrants and issues around immigration. But despite that, she still finds people are showing up to classes and seeking out help.
“And then we study so much, and then I say, okay, the first thing you will do after your interview — we have lots of mock interviews until they feel comfortable — the first thing you will do is you will let me know. And I know you will tell me, it was easy. And that’s every time. They say, oh, that was so easy, teacher, I passed it. Thank you, teacher, thank you, teacher. And then they come here and they share their experience with the students who are ready to apply.”
The new changes to the naturalization test are now in effect. But according to a statement from USCIS, more unspecified updates to the process could be coming in the new year.
For Ozarks at Large, I’m Daniel Caruth.
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